Going to work on an egg a day? It might just lead to an early death, say researchers

They found that consumption of seven or more eggs a week pushed up the chances of dying from any cause by 23 per cent, compared with those who ate fewer.

And eating any eggs at all was linked with an earlier risk of dying in men with diabetes.

The latest research could re-open the debate about how many eggs are safe to eat - an issue which most nutritionists thought had been laid to rest in the last ten years.

Conflicting findings about the benefits and harm of eating eggs centre on their relatively high cholesterol content, at around 220 milligrams per yolk, which may contribute to blood cholesterol levels and heart disease risk.

Many experts believe the risks have been exaggerated, as most healthy people can dispose of dietary cholesterol naturally.

However, Dr Luc Djousse and Dr J Michael Gaziano of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School have analysed a major 20-year study of 21,327 male doctors and believe there is a cut-off point for healthy levels of egg eating.

The researchers say in this month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: "Whereas egg consumption of up to six eggs a week was not associated with the risk of all-cause mortality, consumption of (seven or more) eggs a week was associated with a 23 per cent greater risk of death.

"However, among males with diabetes, any egg consumption is associated with a greater risk of all-cause mortality, and there was suggestive evidence for a greater risk of MI (heart attack) and stroke."

They warned that the findings might not be directly applicable to the general population, as they did not know the overall diet of the doctors or how the eggs were cooked.

Men who ate the most eggs were also older, fatter, were more likely to drink alcohol, smoke and less likely to exercise - all factors that can affect the risk of heart attack and death.

In a commentary in the journal, Dr Robert Eckel of the University of Colorado and a former president of the American Heart Association, acknowledged that the study could destroy the consensus on egg consumption.

"More egg on our faces?" he asks.

"It's really hard to say at this point, but it still seems, if you're a middle-aged male physician and enjoy eggs more than once a day, that having some of the egg left on your face may be better than having it go down your gullet.

"But remember: Eggs are like all other foods - they are neither "good" nor "bad", and they can be part of an overall heart-healthy diet."

Nutritionist Victoria Taylor of the British Heart Foundation said: "One of the limitations of the study is that we don't really know what else these men were eating.

"I don't think it will change our advice in the UK which doesn't place a limit on the number of eggs people should eat.

"We're more concerned about encouraging people to cut down on saturated fat intake than dietary cholesterol."